Shadowing Practice: Leonardo DiCaprio Got A Shocking Look At Lassie | Letterman - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
173 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Hey, Doug.
2
I'm all right.
3
How are you?
4
Have you filed your income tax returns yet?
5
No, I don't do my taxes.
6
Uh -oh.
7
My mom does them for me.
8
Is mom reliable?
9
My mom's very reliable.
10
Yeah.
11
That's right.
12
Good.
13
Now, would you like a steak dinner?
14
Can we get you a nice big thick steak?
15
No thanks, Dave.
16
- Yeah.
17
- Tell me a little bit about your name, if you don't mind.
18
Leonardo DiCaprio.
19
It is a very rhythmic, very poetic sort of sounding name.
20
Very nice, lovely name.
21
- Thank you.
22
Thank you very much.
23
- Is there a story about that?
24
Your parents have something-- - Actually, I do have a story about mine.
25
- Let me hear it.
26
Well, the first time I got an agent, they thought my name-- How old were you?
27
That was about, Six years old, seven years old.
28
You get an agent at six years old.
29
Well, I tried to get an agent, but I didn't succeed because they wanted to change my name to Lenny Williams.
30
They thought my name was a little too ethnic, so they sort of dissected it and said, "Hey, Leonardo, Lenny." My middle name's Wilhelm, so they changed that to Williams.
31
Well, no, wait a minute.
32
Let's get back to your given name again.
33
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio?
34
Yeah, that's my name.
35
Wow, that's a good one.
36
That's great.
37
Thanks.
38
And why is it that your folks selected an Italian -sounding name and then a German -sounding name?
39
Well, my mother's German and my dad's Italian.
40
There you go.
41
There's an answer for every story in this life.
42
All part of God's great plan, isn't it?
43
So, when you were six years old, how did you get into show business?
44
What were you...
45
You were just, like, going to school, to be in show business?
46
Well, the first time was actually on TV.
47
I was on TV at about three years old.
48
Have you ever seen Romper Room?
49
Are you kidding?
50
Try and keep me away from Romper Room.
51
Well, it was my favorite show at the time
52
and I just absolutely love the show and I used to sing the songs at home and everything.
53
Let's hear one.
54
And oh God.
55
Come on.
56
It's too far away.
57
I can't remember.
58
Come on, let's go, buddy.
59
So I went on Romper Room, right?
60
And I was completely excited.
61
They had a little circle, and they were all singing, dancing, and stuff like that.
62
But I was too excited to be on camera.
63
So I was running up and slapping the cameras and stuff like that, and screaming and looking inside the camera.
64
Tried to pull my mom on stage, and finally I was too much to handle, so they Completely kicked me off the shelf.
65
You were 86, you were tossed, you were adiosed.
66
I was adiosed.
67
And were you crestfallen?
68
You must have been crushed when you got bounced off Rumpa Rumpa Rumpa.
69
No, no, no. I SAW MYSELF ON TELEVISION.
70
I WAS JUST LIKE...
71
You went crazy.
72
Yeah, neurotic.
73
It was beautiful.
74
That happens to me almost every night right here.
75
Are you really that excited?
76
Yeah, I see.
77
Oh my God!
78
Um, I saw the film you did with Robert De Niro and Ellen Bark in This Boy's Life.
79
Mm -hmm.
80
That, you know, that was a great, I, and I guess, I, and forgive me if this is the wrong term, but it was a small sort of film.
81
It wasn't a huge budget with chase scenes and space, uh, uh...
82
Well, no. Made about eight million dollars, I think.
83
It was, uh...
84
But it was a very nice piece of work, is what I was trying to say.
85
Oh, well, thank you.
86
Based on a book.
87
And I thought that the interaction between you and De Niro was especially entertaining.
88
I mean, that was very interesting to watch.
89
Was it a good-- did you have a good relationship with him, with the film?
90
I did.
91
Bobby De Niro was great.
92
Ah, you called him Bobby.
93
There you go.
94
You're in show business now, pal.
95
Robert De Niro was great.
96
I remember a scene we were doing, actually, where he had his-- did you see the Zippo scene, where he's trying to, like, impress my mom, played by Ellen Barkin?
97
And Ellen found this so hilarious every time.
98
He's got something he does with the lighters.
99
Yeah, he pops it open and does his whole thing.
100
And Ellen, as soon as she saw Robert De Niro do this, she'd start cracking up immediately.
101
and the whole set was in hysterics.
102
And towards like the 25th take I got a little agitated, because I was usually one that was like, getting the laughs or on set.
103
So I stand up and I go, "You know, guys, can we be a little more professional here?
104
You're laughing all the time.
105
I've got things to do." I was a bit of a smart ass.
106
I was 16 years old.
107
I learned my lesson.
108
And Bob takes me aside and he goes, you know, - Thank you.
109
a certain line, you know, with jokes.
110
He goes, "You know, you shouldn't cross that line, 'cause sometimes you can't get back." You know?
111
That's right.
112
That's right.
113
So I sit there, and I come back in my chair, and my heart is, like, down.. down to my butt and I'm just sitting there.
114
Yeah.
115
Did I mess up?
116
And uh, 2K-- That's the reason you'll never be back on Romper Room.
117
It goes on your permanent record.
118
So two takes later, they nail the scene, and I never actually figured out if he was really angry with me or if he wanted to just change the tempo.
119
I have a feeling it was a little of both.
120
But he forgave me for it, actually, at the end.
121
-Good.
122
-He took me out, and, uh, we had a bunch of pies and stuff.
123
You talked about Romper Room and how you were tossed off and nearly arrested.
124
-Mm -hmm.
125
-Uh, and then...
126
-What was, like, your first legitimate acting role as a kid?
127
Did you want to be an actor, or did you folks just say, "Here?" I knew I wanted to be an actor for a long time, definitely.
128
My first dramatic, real drama was on the new Lassie.
129
-Uh -huh.
130
-And I think we have a clip of that.
131
But, uh, I remember that...
132
I'm supposed to be the one that tells the people -that we have the clips.
133
-Okay.
134
How would you know anything about our clip inventory?
135
-You take your time, absolutely.
136
-That's my responsibility.
137
-I don't appreciate anything.
138
-When we have a clip, I turn to the camera and I say, We got a clip, don't we?
139
Well, anyway, the funny thing about Lassie was-- -That, uh...
140
-We have a clip!
141
Lassie was actually a female dog.
142
Lassie is supposed to be a female dog.
143
Supposed to be a female, yeah, Lassie.
144
Yeah, Lassie, Laddie.
145
Laddie would be the male, Lassie's the female.
146
-Right.
147
-Yeah.
148
So they had five different dogs that were all guys to do the tricks, I guess, to...
149
We have five different polls.
150
Male dogs are smarter or something like that, right?
151
What did you say?
152
I don't know.
153
I don't know what they're doing.
154
What are you doing?
155
The male dogs are smarter?
156
Is that what you said?
157
I don't know.
158
That's supposedly one was for the tricks, one was for the expressions and this and that, right?
159
Right.
160
True.
161
So, uh, they had a big pregnancy scene where Lassie was giving puppies, and, uh, I first realized how fake the business-- That's hard for the guys.
162
We first realized how fake-- I first realized how fake the whole business was when they had to do the pregnancy scene, because they had to-- tape over Lassie's you know.
163
- It's some...
164
- You know, I know you're just a kid, but you possess a wisdom and a maturity, indescribable here.
165
That to tape over Lassie's...
166
special fur.
167
And I was sitting there.
168
Hey, hey, hey, this ain't romper room, okay?
169
I was a little shocked.
170
Yeah, I was a little disappointed, so...
171
Disappointed, were you?
172
Yeah.
173
Gosh, what aspect of that did you find disappointing?
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B21
Hilarious Vintage Interviews with Future Hollywood Legends | David Letterman
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
Matthew Perry Talks About Going To Rehab | Letterman
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
The Best Johnny Depp Moments | David Letterman
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
Barack Obama on His Multiracial Identity | Letterman
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B14
Emma Watson Talks About Harry Potter Ending | Letterman
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B21
Aishwarya Rai Is The Most Beautiful Person In The World | David Letterman
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B2Robin Tunney Talks Wrapping The Mentalist & Living in Simon Baker’s Shadow | David Letterman
Interview EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B1The Best Of Tom Cruise | David Letterman
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B2The Best Of Steve Carell | David Letterman
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B12
91 sentences
The Bob Newhart Toupee Sketch That Broke Dean Martin
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B210
34 sentences
Leonardo DiCaprio Introduces Robert De Niro | 26th Annual SAG Awards | TNT
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B11
40 sentences
live, laugh, love 😌💗#peytonlist
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B18
230 sentences
They Made Him Eat Scraps, Now He Owns the Restaurant | Slow English Listening Practice
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B12
270 sentences
Peter has surprise for Himself
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B112
179 sentences
Friends | Rachel Gets a Job
Business EnglishInterview EnglishTeens
B11
54 sentences
bi2NgISjcgI
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
129 sentences
Hollywood celebrities support Messi in the World Cup 2026
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
135 sentences
Matt Smith & Claire Foy Play "Who Am I?" | Vogue Challenges
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
151 sentences
Bradley Cooper Plays '5 Second Rule'
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B11
188 sentences
'Stranger Things': Jake Connelly Says THIS Word Describes 'Delightful Derek's' Future
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
75 sentences
Lesson 29-1 - A Long Time Ago
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Exploring a Casual Chat: Leonardo DiCaprio on Letterman
The video captures a lively, conversational interview between Leonardo DiCaprio and David Letterman, blending humor and personal stories. This relaxed dialogue is perfect for English learners looking to practice everyday speech, as it features natural pacing, casual questions, and relatable topics like family, names, and early career moments. The back-and-forth flow mirrors real-life conversations, making it an ideal resource for improving listening and speaking skills.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "Is mom reliable?" A common way to ask about someone's trustworthiness in casual settings. Great for checking in on friends or family members.
- "Tell me a little bit about..." A friendly prompt to encourage someone to share details. Use this to start conversations about names, hobbies, or experiences.
- "I tried to get an agent, but I didn't succeed because..." A useful structure for explaining past attempts and challenges. Perfect for talking about goals or setbacks.
- "There's an answer for every story in this life." A folksy expression to highlight that most things have a logical explanation. Adds warmth to conversations.
- "Try and keep me away from..." A playful way to say you love something. Use it to express enthusiasm, like "Try and keep me away from that new coffee shop!"
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
Shadowing—repeating speech immediately after the speaker—is a powerful way to improve pronunciation and fluency. Here's how to use this video: Step 1: Watch the clip once to understand the main ideas. Step 2: Play short 5-10 second segments, pausing after each to repeat the words aloud, mimicking the tone and rhythm. Focus on phrases like "Is mom reliable?" to match the casual intonation. Step 3: Use a shadowing app to record yourself and compare it to the original. Notice differences in stress, like how "Leonardo" is emphasized in the name discussion. Step 4: Practice the dialogue with a partner, taking turns as DiCaprio and Letterman. This helps with real-time response skills. Step 5: Repeat tricky parts, like the story about changing his name, until you feel comfortable. Tools like shadow speak or shadowspeak can also help slow down the audio for clearer practice. By working through this video, you'll gain confidence in handling natural, conversational English.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were tossed · was adiosed · have been crushed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you filed · Have you ever seen |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was running · was trying · were doing |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | Are you kidding · You're laughing · I'm just sitting |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.